


Remains

by Mayamali



Category: Left 4 Dead (Video Games)
Genre: Breaking Up & Making Up, Closeted Character, Gen, Keith is mentioned, Losing friends, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Zombie Apocalypse, Two Years Later, kind of, they're a little messed up but they're alright
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:26:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23939872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mayamali/pseuds/Mayamali
Summary: Two years have passed. A weekend reunion is Ellis's chance to get closure, but will three days be enough? A sequel to Sour Lemonade.
Relationships: Ellis/Nick (Left 4 Dead), Everyone & Everyone
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> https://archiveofourown.org/works/23360866
> 
> For relationship context I guess? ngl this is fully self-indulgent bullshit

Being back in the Vannah was weird.

Two years ago, Ellis had been fighting his way down the floors of this very hotel in a bid for survival. Back then, it had been a mess of flames and screams and gore. Now it was as good as new, any sign of the damage the chaos had caused replaced and smoothed over. It wasn't too surprising, though. Everyone wanted to forget it had ever happened, forget the violence and heartbreak. But it had seeped into the floorboards; the new carpet just masked the smell of death.

His fingers clasped tightly around his car keys in his hand, his knee bouncing anxiously. It felt like an eternity had passed since then, and all that time was spent waiting for this moment.

After the evacuation, they had gone their separate ways. It was an inevitability, but it still hurt. Rochelle had gone back to what remained of her family in Ohio, and Coach had gone to Atlanta. He had a niece there, recently widowed and very pregnant, and he wanted to look after her. And Nick...

Well. For a long time, no one was sure where Nick had gone. Ellis had tried in vain to get him to come with him, but ultimately, he had been the last to leave the ship.

It took nearly a full year before Ellis finally tracked him down. He had Nick's ID number, and CEDA had set up a database pretty quickly once the rescue centers were up and running. Unfortunately, business boomed when Ellis re-opened his auto shop, so it took a while before he could even use it. And by then, it was out of date. First, it claimed Nick had registered into Atlantic City - not too surprising. But when Ellis called to find him, the operators told him that Nick had left nearly seven months earlier. From there, he had registered in New York, Myrtle Beach, and even St. Louis at one point. By the time Ellis finally managed to find him, Nick had been living in Las Vegas for about five months.

Rochelle had set up a Skype group once the Internet was running again, and it was there that they reunited. It had been a weirdly emotional event, crying at three faces on a computer screen, but seeing his family back together again broke Ellis.

And now they were coming back to Savannah, and he was sitting in the lobby waiting for them. He had a mild agenda to this meeting, though; working through the details in his head filled him with nervous energy. Everything he had planned depended solely on being able to get Nick alone.

"Aw, shit," a voice said from the entrance, and Ellis looked up, the thought pushed away as he saw Coach. The oldest of the group had lost weight on their journey, most of his bulk turning into muscle. It was weird to see him wearing jeans and a regular polo instead of bloodied khakis, but he looked good.

Ellis grinned, standing up and spreading his arms to meet the older man halfway through the lobby in a tight hug. "Long time no see, Coach," he said once they pulled away. "Damn, man, how you been?"

"Good," Coach replied, resting his hands on Ellis's shoulders. "Never been so glad to see you, boy. Been stayin' out of trouble?"

Ellis raised a hand to pull the bill of his hat over his eyes, forgetting that he had chosen not to wear it. It was a habit he was still trying to break. "Aw, yeah. You know it was usually Keith gettin' the worst of it, anyhow. Man, I told him all about the shenanigans we got up to. He was so jealous, he might as well have turned green!"

"Even the part about the ships?"

"Naw, not so much that part." Truthfully, Ellis had left that part of their journey out of his stories. No need to kill the mood by talking about how many times they'd given bone marrow samples. Not that it mattered much now. "The roller coaster, though? He nearly punched me in the face over that one."

The front doors slid open again, punctuated with a small gasp. Rochelle stood at the entrance, the rolling luggage bag she carried coming to a dead halt behind her. It only took a moment before she dropped it and stretched out her arms, immediately meeting them in a hug. "My boys," she cried, clinging tightly to them.

"Hey, girl," Ellis said softly into her ear, rubbing her back. "Damn, wouldn't've dressed up so nice if I knew it'd make you cry."

"I thought I'd last longer," she joked through the tears, pulling back to smile at them. She'd made a much more elegant attempt to look nice for the reunion, replacing her t-shirt and jeans with a cute shift dress and flats. She'd cut her hair, too, her locs now slightly waved into a bob. "I take it we're waiting on Nick?"

"Yeah, his flight got delayed. Should be landin' any minute now." Ellis smiled reassuringly, nodding back to the lobby. "C'mon, take a load off. _God_ , it's good to see y'all."

"I can't believe we're all here again," Rochelle said as they sat down. "And how much they did to the place."

"Yeah. The owner didn't make it, I guess. The guy that took over wanted to update." Ellis scratched his nose idly. "I dunno, I kinda liked it before. But they turned it around quick."

"Hey, as long as it's not on fire anymore." The joke was bittersweet, something that they shared a laugh over even in its darkness. "How's everything going here, Ellis? Keith still getting into trouble?"

Ellis's smile faded a little, but he forced it back on as he waved a hand. "Sure as the sun shines. Although we, uh... don't talk much anymore."

Coach's brows shot up. "For real? Thought you were best friends."

"I mean - after what happened to us, I guess a lotta the trouble he gets in stopped bein' so funny." Rochelle and Coach fell silent at that, and Ellis wished he hadn't said anything. That he'd just pretended he and Keith were still attached at the hip. But he didn't want to give them the full story. That could wait until tomorrow. "Anyway," he said lightly, clearing his throat. "How was the drive, Coach? How's your niece?"

Thankfully, the older man caught on and nodded. "Yeah - good. Don't like long road trips much these days, but this one wasn't too bad. Angie's good, and James is talkin' real good now. Almost two already."

Rochelle laughed quietly, leaning against the arm of the couch. "You're the proud grand-uncle."

"Damn straight. My girl ain't plannin' on havin' kids any time soon, I gotta coddle _someone_."

They spent the next few minutes talking about Coach's love of babysitting. He was even dangerously close to pulling out photos when the lobby doors opened again. Ellis craned his neck up, his smile growing wider as he saw Nick stepping into the hotel. He called out, waving a hand to catch the man's attention.

Their eyes met for a moment, and Ellis's heart jumped into his throat.

"Well, shit," Nick said as he approached, a smile finally settling on his face. "Look at this sorry bunch of losers."

Rochelle practically jumped up from the couch to throw her arms around his shoulders. Ellis could tell by how tightly she held on that she was getting emotional again, and he couldn't blame her. "Hey, fancy man," she said against his shoulder.

Ellis, meanwhile, couldn't help but stare. The older man had grown out a little beard and switched out his suit for a leather jacket, and he looked every bit as attractive as before. Nick caught Ellis's eye, quirking a knowing brow at him over Rochelle's shoulder. "Don't get mascara on me, Ro," he said, keeping eye contact until Rochelle pulled away.

"Sorry. Damn, it's good to see you." She looked back at Ellis, still smiling. "We're all here. Should we head up?"

All of their rooms were on the same floor, so it only took a few minutes for the others to drop off their bags. "So, pizza?" Ellis asked once everyone had come to rest in his room. "Chinese? What're we feelin'?"

"Ohh, some General Tso's sounds divine," Rochelle said, taking out her earrings.

"Chinese is good," Nick agreed as he idly flipped through TV channels. With a nod from Coach, Ellis grabbed a flier of takeout restaurants off of the desk.

"So, Nick. How's Vegas?" Coach asked, kicking his shoes off to lay on the pull-out couch.

Nick shrugged, putting the TV on a news station before tossing the remote onto the bed and sitting at the foot of it. "It's pretty much back to normal, except for all the new cleanliness guidelines. How about you? You go back to teaching?"

Coach nodded with a heavy sigh. "Yeah. Transferred schools, though. Couldn't handle the commute."

"Fair. You'd have to take the 16, huh?"

Coach nodded again, his smile fading into something more solemn. "Passed by Whisperin' Oaks on the way here."

"It's back up and runnin', right?" Ellis asked, drumming his fingers as the phone rang. "Man, don't think I'll ever see the Screamin' Oak the same."

"Yeah. Angie wants to take James when he's old enough." Coach paused, glancing at Ellis over his shoulder. "You'd finally have a buddy for Kiddieland, Ellis."

"Hell yeah," the younger man said, unashamed in his enthusiasm. "Just tell me when, Coach."

It didn't take nearly as long as Ellis would have expected for the food to arrive. Sitting around his hotel room, idly eating his beef and broccoli, he watched as the others talked. Rochelle was telling the others about a segment she had produced on carrier support groups, and he smiled to himself. It was almost like no time had passed at all; this was how it should be. They spent the better part of an hour just talking over their food, tossing containers aside when they were finished.

But eventually, Rochelle started trying and failing to hide her yawns, and it became contagious. "Gonna guess that's our cue to hit the hay," Coach said, grunting as he stood.

"Yeah. Not like we're not gonna have a whole weekend to shoot the shit," Nick said, stretching idly.

"It'll be nice to get a proper tour of Savannah," Rochelle joked, smiling warmly at Ellis. "But yeah, I have to call it quits for tonight."

"Good thing we're all in yellin' distance," Ellis said, watching as Nick stood up to grab his jacket. If Ellis wanted to get Nick alone, this was his chance. He reached out to grab his arm, his breath catching as the older man's eyes turned to him. "Hang back for a second?"

Nick furrowed his brows. "Can it wait?"

His heart sank a little, but he persisted. "Not really."

Nick paused for a long moment before he nodded almost imperceptibly. "Boys' night?" Rochelle teased, nose wrinkling playfully. "Don't stay up too late."

"Haw haw. G'night, guys." Ellis watched as Coach led Rochelle out the door of his hotel room. It clicked shut behind them, and then it was quiet.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been four months after their rescue in New Orleans when CEDA finally created a vaccine. Or, to be specific, a vaccine that didn't ultimately end up failing. Any of the previous prototypes ended up killing the subjects, one way or another. But it was those four months that got Ellis thinking.

Nick had warned him that their little fling was just that - a fling. And Ellis had been okay with that. Frankly, he wasn't sure he was ready to seriously deal with the fact that he was having sex with another man. But four months was a long time to spend in confinement with someone who knew him the way Nick did. Eventually, he started to second-guess himself.

Ellis started thinking that, maybe, they could be more.

Throughout those four months, Ellis would sneak out of his room now and again to find Nick. Sure, they'd have sex in some way of chasing familiarity; the quiet of the ship was unsettling sometimes. But after the first two weeks, something _shifted_ between them. They started sleeping together, limbs intertwined as they lay in tangles on a twin-sized bed. Most nights, Ellis would have to pry himself from Nick's embrace to get back to his room; the older man clung to him like he was a childhood comfort.

But sometimes, when Ellis would wake up in the middle of the night with his heart racing and memories of zombies screeching in his ears, he'd crawl into Nick's bed for comfort. At first, Nick had made fun of him in the way only he could, but eventually, he welcomed him. After a while, the sex was more of a bonus; if it weren't for the guard patrols, he would never have left the safety of Nick's arms.

They didn't talk about the shift, though; not until it was too late. After four months, CEDA created the vaccine and let them go. Rochelle and Coach left after some reassurance, and Nick and Ellis had sat on the deck of the cruise ship, watching the sunset. The flight to Savannah was the next day, and Ellis knew he'd be on it. He also knew that Nick had nowhere to go.

Nick had burned all of his bridges long before Savannah. He hadn't talked to his parents in about ten years, and his ex was definitely out of the question. And in the days leading up to their release, Ellis thought of suggesting they leave together. Here, on the deck, was his last chance. "Could always switch out for a bunk bed," he offered.

"What?" Nick peered at him over his shoulder.

"If you wanted to come with. Get a bunk bed. I'd let you have the top one."

Nick huffed quietly in a laugh, but he shook his head. "I don't think it'd work."

"Well -"

Whatever counter-argument Ellis was going to think of, Nick cut him off. "Not just the bunk bed. _This_ wouldn't work. I know what you're trying to do, El."

"I dunno what you mean," Ellis said innocently.

"Ellis." Nick turned to look at him, all of the humor now absent from his face. "I told you -"

"I know what you told me. I just... I _know_ you like me, Nick."

"How do you know that?" Nick's brow twitched in a way that Ellis understood pretty well by now. He was about to lie. "You're a good lay, and that's it. The fact of the matter is that you're gonna get on that helicopter tomorrow, and I'm never gonna think of you again. Sad, but true."

"Then how come I gotta practically pry you off me at night, huh?" Ellis sat up straight, meeting Nick's eyes with determination. "I call bullshit."

Nick faltered for just a second, seemingly surprised the younger man was able to call his bluff before he shook his head. "Call it what you want, but come tomorrow, this -" He gestured between the two of them. "Is done."

Ellis held his gaze, brows furrowing inward. "...You don't even wanna give it a try?"

"What's to try?"

"Jesus, Nick - you're gonna look me in the eyes and say that?" After a second of silence, he knew that that had gotten through. He reached out, resting his palm against Nick's thigh. "You can tell me the truth."

Nick was silent for a good minute, his expression softening to the sound of waves lapping against the ship. "I..." He licked his lips, breaking eye contact. "You shouldn't settle for me. I've got twelve years on you, El; you really think I'm as good as it gets?"

"I dunno. When we first met, no way," Ellis said honestly, lip twitching at the memory of the man who swore and cursed and picked fights at any given opportunity. "Now? You're gettin' there." Nick scoffed, and Ellis rolled his eyes. "I mean, goddamn, it's not like I'm askin' you to marry me. I just wanna... take you out for dinner or somethin'. Christ."

They lapsed into silence again, and Nick finally turned back to him. Something in his face had changed; there was a sincerity in his eyes, a hesitance. "I know. I... don't think I'm ready."

"We could start with holdin' hands. Nice and easy."

Ellis's attempt at a joke fell flat as Nick sighed, shaking his head just a little. "We - _I_ need time. And you gotta think about this objectively, El. We went through hell and back; that kinda trauma fucks you up. If we charge into this blind, it'll blow up right in our faces."

Ellis sagged back into the chair, unable to hide a small pout. Part of him wanted to argue that it had been four months since they'd even _seen_ a zombie. But then he thought back to the time he heard someone crying and immediately had flashbacks to the sugar mill in Mississippi. He thought back to the way Coach would always scope a room before entering, or Rochelle refused to let her hair down. And he knew Nick was right. The flu had changed them all, and not necessarily for the better.

His silence may have well have been an agreement. Nick put his hand on Ellis's, a tentative touch. "You're not gonna forget," Ellis said simply, the touch spurring some last little bit of confidence.

"No," Nick confessed, finally allowing a hint of a smirk back on his face. "Even if I wanted to, I know you'd hunt me down."

"We're gonna keep in touch, then?"

"Sure." Usually, when Nick said that, it was a vague and empty assurance. But the way he said it this time sounded dangerously close to a promise.

Ellis knew that would have to be good enough. He sighed, glancing back over with a pained smile. "So... that's it, huh?"

Nick paused before answering. "Yeah, I guess so." His hand lingered for just another second before pulling away. "Hey. You survived the end of the world. Go home, do stupid shit with Keith, date someone who's actually your age. You'll be fine."

Ellis had been dumped before, but this time, it hurt. Mostly because it had ended before it even really began. Nick obliged to one last hug before he boarded the chopper the next day, and then they went their separate ways. Ellis had spent two years trying to take his advice; he even tried tracking down Zoey, the girl from Rayford. Unfortunately, she seemed to have disappeared off the face of the planet. So he moved on, and in the process, he tried Haley, Virginia, Cassie, Mark - none of it felt right.

He'd get whiffs of cologne - Nick's cologne - from a stranger on the street, and it would bubble up in his chest like a painful memory. He damn near cried when he finally got Nick's email address over a year later and saw that 'hey there, fireball ;)' waiting in his inbox.

And now, they were here, together in a hotel room in Savannah. Ellis almost felt like they were in a movie. Like someone hit pause when they were on the ship and had finally hit play again.

It was time to start talking again.


End file.
